Diop’s education included History, Egyptology, Physics, Linguistics, Anthropology, Economics, and Sociology. As a student of Gaston Bachelard, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, André Leroi-Gourhan, and others” Diop acquired proficiency in such diverse disciplines as rationalism, dialectics, modern scientific techniques and prehistoric archeology. Diop was also the only Black African of his generation to have received training as an Egyptologist. More importantly he applied this encyclopedic knowledge to his researches on African history.

Diop established and was the director of the radiocarbon laboratory at the IFAN (Institut Fondamental de L’Afrique Noir). Diop published a technique and methodology for a melanin dosage test in scholarly journals. Diop used this technique to determine the melanin content of Egyptian mummies. Forensic investigators later adopted this technique to determine the “racial identity” of badly burnt accident victims.